Putin Shows Global Mojo to Russians as U.S. Fumes Over Snowden
Russian President Vladimir Putin is showing his gamesmanship on a global stage by giving his voters what they want with the asylum granted to ex-U.S. contractor Edward Snowden, while leaving the White House flustered.
The decision is backed by almost twice as many Russians as those against it and those who view Snowden’s role as positive outnumber negative assessments three to one. While the case risks derailing U.S.-Russian relations, it gives Putin a chance to rally support at home and deflect attention from his own human-rights record, said Gleb Pavlovsky, a former Kremlin adviser who heads the Effective Policy Foundation in Moscow.
“Domestically, he got what he can,”Pavlovsky said by phone yesterday. “His main propaganda message domestically will be that things are similar everywhere: the CIA and the FBI violate human rights just like everybody else.”
Putin, who used Russia’s oil-powered wealth accumulation to build support for his 13-year rule, is facing an economy that threatens to slide into recession. Over the past two years, he also stared down the biggest opposition rallies since he came to power and has been the target of criticism for cracking down on protest leaders.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-01/putin-shows-global-mojo-to-russians-as-u-s-fumes-over-snowden.html
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